Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2)

by Jessie Donovan

  Doing the same in real life was harder, though, ever since she'd been forced to give up her boxing career. Hence why she'd broken down about her sister earlier.

  Rian stopped in place and tugged her hand, the action jarring her from her thoughts. He motioned his stuffed toy rabbit toward the ground. "We need to stay here. Any closer and we could get hurt. Right, Rhydian?"

  The Snowridge leader smiled down at the lad, good humor and caring filling his gaze. "Aye, you're right."

  He ruffled Rian's head, and Delaney took a second to study the dragonman.

  He was far kinder than she'd pictured, especially given Snowridge's reputation as a close-knit clan that didn't take well to strangers.

  And yet, he'd taken in a wee Irish boy as his own and hadn't batted an eyelash in acknowledging Delaney's mini-breakdown earlier.

  Her eyes fell to his jaw, and then up to the scars on his cheek. She burned to know the details of the story behind them. No doubt they had shaped the man Rhydian had become.

  Not that she should care about such things. However, if Rhydian was to be involved in Rian's upbringing, then she most certainly had a right to know a bit about his past.

  Rhydian caught her staring, but Delaney didn't look away. Being coy wasn't her style, and she wasn't about to start now.

  The dragonman looked as if he wanted to say something, but he instead looked back at Rian. "Do you remember what I told you about what to do when shifting in front of humans?"

  Rian swung his stuffed rabbit to and fro before nodding. "Aye, we ask them to turn around. That way they don't get embarrassed."

  She couldn't help but quip, "What? No shifting while still clothed and looking all fierce and mighty?"

  Rhydian shrugged. "This is one of my favorite tops. So, no, I'm not going to destroy it to fulfill some fantasy of yours."

  She was tempted to say it wasn't a fantasy. But as the image of Rhydian ripping his shirt off to reveal his muscled chest flashed into her mind, she decided maybe it could be. Determined to move the conversation to much safer territory, she said, "So that shirt is a type of treasure, right? That means it's true, then, about dragons hoarding treasures."

  Rian asked, "What's hoarding?"

  Rhydian never looked away from Delaney's gaze. "It means keeping things forever. Humans like to tell stories about how we only want to collect gold and other treasures and store them in protected places like vaults or mountains. Usually the stories also say that we do all sorts of crazy things to protect the objects, making us look stupid before eventually getting killed."

  Rian leaned forward. "Do we do that? Keep stuff? Is there a room full of treasures?"

  The corner of Rhydian's mouth ticked up. "Well, there are a few treasures stored in the archives, but those things are fairly worthless to anyone else. And since dragons have to trade and pay for things, just like humans, hoarding gold is fairly impossible."

  Grinning, Delaney replied, "And here I thought it'd be fun to try swimming through a room of gold and treasure, just like you see in some of the cartoons. I guess that means striking it from my list of things to do here."

  Rhydian raised an eyebrow. "There may or may not be other secrets here. You'll just have to stay around long enough to find out what they are."

  Okay, those words piqued her curiosity. Just what kind of secrets did Clan Snowridge possess?

  Rian opened his mouth—probably with another question—but Rhydian beat him to it. "If you want to see me shift, it's now or never, lad. I have quite a few things to do today. Do you want me to answer questions, or do you want to see my dragon?"

  Even though Delaney knew Rhydian was clan leader with a multitude of duties, she'd nearly forgotten about it. What, with his teasing and easy manner, he wasn't anything like what the rumors on the internet said about him and other dragon-shifter leaders.

  Before her thoughts went back down the dangerous path of thinking how much sexier he was than she'd expected, Rian made a circling motion with his finger and said, "Turn around so we can see Rhydian's dragon."

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say no. If she was to live with dragons, she needed to become accustomed to their ways.

  Although, secretly she was curious to see what Rhydian looked like without a stitch of clothing. His broad shoulders and lean hips suggested some rather juicy eye candy underneath all those layers.

  Not that she should be interested in it. But, hell, it would've been a lie to say she wasn't.

  Rian turned so he faced away from Rhydian. "I'll keep you company, Auntie Laney. Come on. The faster you turn, the faster he changes."

  Trying her best not to laugh at Rian's attempted serious tone—let alone tear up again at him calling her his aunt—Delaney complied. She strained her ears for any sound as well as scanned the corners of her vision for any sudden bursts of light. There hadn't been much information about how a dragon-shifter changed, let alone any videos. Given how everyone had a camera these days with their phones, it was amazing none existed. The DDA must have a hand in keeping them off the internet to prevent any possible paranoia or fear.

  After a few pops, a half roar filled her ears. Turning around, her mouth dropped open.

  The black dragon was about four times her height, his scales dark but slightly iridescent at the same time, the faint sunshine making them a multitude of colors.

  Even in his dragon form, the scars showed on his cheek. But she barely paid them any heed, especially when Rhydian raised his wings up behind him and spread them.

  The sun highlighted the faint veins and bones of the impressive wingspan.

  He was powerful, yes, but beautiful, too. She wondered how anyone would want to kill such magnificent creatures simply for their blood and then go sell it on the black market.

  Rian cheered. "See? I told you he likes to spread his wings. He won't take me up into the air. But maybe one day, he will. I have to be older, though. Maybe he'll take you up into the sky, too?"

  At the thought of flying on a dragon thousands of meters in the air, the blood drained from her face.

  The dragon let out a puff of air she swore was a snort.

  Clearing her throat, she stood a wee bit taller. "I'm not the best with heights. But given how I don't have wings, I think that's understandable."

  The dragon snorted again, somehow making the magnificent creature adorable.

  Not that Rhydian would like being called adorable, she bet.

  Rian took her hand and tugged. "Come on, Auntie Laney. You need to pet him. He's smooth and a little soft, and not at all cold like the stories say."

  She moved with the boy and frowned. "What stories?"

  "The ones in the school library. They have heaps and heaps of children's books. But most of them are written by humans, so they're always wrong. I don't always have scales on my back. Or on my feet. Or horns on my head."

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if the dragon-shifters had thought about writing their own stories and publishing them. It could help dispel the negative stereotypes floating around. And starting with children would be a good first step.

  However, they reached Rhydian's dragon form and he gently butted her shoulder, scattering her thoughts about books. Rian translated Rhydian's movement. "He wants you to touch him. Dragons love to be petted and scratched, and so many other things. I'm not sure why they like baths in cold lakes so much, but they do that, too."

  She gingerly touched Rhydian's cheek. The slightly warm, smooth surface surprised her, despite Rian's warning.

  Gently caressing his cheek, she smiled as the dragon closed his eyes and hummed. He acted like a cat or dog receiving a good scratch.

  Rian piped up again. "He's happy. Try scratching behind his ear."

  Running her fingers over Rhydian's scales, she finally reached behind his ears. She expected to find more scales, but there was a small patch of skin behind the ear, with no scales over it.

  She wondered what other secrets Rhydian's dragon form held.
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br />   Careful not to hurt him—hey, it was possible she could hurt the dragon—she ran her nails back and forth against the leathery skin. The dragon's hum increased further, the sound reminding her almost of a loud cat's purr.

  Since Rhydian couldn't talk, and even she knew dragons didn't have special telepathic powers, she asked Rian, "So humming is a good thing, right?"

  "Yep. But he's humming really loud now. You must be better at scratching and petting than me."

  The dragon opened his eyes, the pupils more slitted than before. She murmured, "I wish you could tell me what you're thinking right now."

  Rian said, "He can't, silly. But there are dragon signals, loads of them. Once I can shift, I'll have to learn them all." Rian spread his arms and mimicked flying. "I can't wait."

  Delaney was still staring into Rhydian's eye and swore she saw sadness there.

  Careful to keep her voice low so Rian wouldn't hear her, she stated, "Later, you need to tell me why you're sad all the sudden. I have a feeling it's related to Rian, and I have the right to know."

  She expected Rhydian to back away and huff or some such dismissive dragon signal. But he merely nodded.

  Then he roared and Rian rushed back. "He wants to change back, Auntie Laney. Come on. We'll stand where it's safe."

  She nearly protested that it had only been a few minutes, but Delaney kept her mouth shut. Rhydian no doubt had plenty to do. And if she wanted to talk alone with him later, she shouldn't delay him from his clan leader duties. The sooner he did them, the sooner she could seek him out and corner him to explain a few things.

  As she walked back to her original spot and turned her back once more, she wondered what a clan leader did all day.

  Despite her research, there was still so much she didn't know about dragon-shifters.

  Then an idea sparked. "Rian, once you're done with school, will you help me learn more about Snowridge?"

  Rian swung his toy rabbit back and forth. "Well, I don't know if I can help, but I'll try. I know some of the kids and the teachers and the doctors. But I don't know what's in every room or floor. Snowridge is big, but I can only stay on two floors. And the landing area if I'm with Rhydian."

  Just the tidbit about multiple floors piqued her interest.

  Even if it took five security escorts, Delaney wanted to explore a bit of the clan while Rhydian worked and Rian was in school.

  While she didn't want to think the worst could happen, she needed to prepare herself in case it did. Ever since the crowd had devolved into a giant fight at one of her matches years ago, Delaney always looked for escape routes, hiding places, and even multiple exits. It was a habit that had never gone away.

  Rhydian would probably never hurt her. However, she didn't know about the others.

  She hated being skeptical, but Rian couldn't lose her, too.

  And since preparation had always saved her arse in the past, she wasn't going to skip it now.

  Chapter Five

  Hours later, after finalizing everything with the DDA about Delaney's trial period on Snowridge and attending to the most urgent clan matters, Rhydian sat behind his desk, frowning at two of his most trusted Protectors—Wren and Carys. "You think a gathering introducing the human to everyone would be too dangerous?"

  Wren nodded. "You have yet to even introduce Rian to the clan as a whole. Deep down, you know why."

  His dragon chimed in. Why you've put off weeding out the questionable members of the clan, I have no idea.

  Kicking out uncooperative clan members didn't end well for the Scottish clan. I'd like to think we learned from that mistake.

  Clan Lochguard in the Scottish Highlands had expelled all members who didn't support their young clan leader, Finlay Stewart. Not long after, the banished members had teamed up with some other dragon enemies and attacked the clan. Rumors said some of the disgruntled dragon-shifters were planning something even worse for the future, although nothing had happened yet.

  His beast grunted. If we don't take care of the problems within our own ranks, then the DDA may never send a group of human females to our clan. And we need a few to come and stay. Otherwise, the clan will slowly die out anyway if there isn't some sort of influx of fresh blood.

  True, it would take about a hundred years for the DNA pool to grow dangerously small, but Clan Snowridge had been around for more than a thousand years. Rhydian wouldn't be the one to encourage Snowridge's extinction. I'll think on it, but I'll need to be careful and not rush into anything.

  Rhydian returned to the conversation with the Protectors. "We can't keep shielding certain clan members from others. Not only does it create its own kind of division, it'll blow up soon enough and endanger lives. How close are you to finishing your deep background checks on the entire clan?"

  Carys replied, "Nearly done. I'll have the list of potential farming candidates to you within the next two weeks."

  He nodded. Some of the dragons would be given farms on the outlying edges of Snowridge's land. That way he and the Protectors could keep an eye on them while not having them inside the main stronghold, possibly fomenting trouble and dissent.

  Rhydian glanced at Wren. "You at least sent out the clan-wide alert about Delaney?"

  The dark-haired male nodded. "Aye, everyone knows she's under your protection. Although we'll see if that ends up being enough because I'm not sure it will be."

  Wren had been with Rhydian for years and had even handled the recent purging of certain, disloyal Protectors within Snowridge's ranks. He trusted the male and his honesty. "It'll have to be enough, especially with your team keeping an ear to the ground. And if it isn't, then it'll show us the true colors of some individuals and we can take care of them." He glanced between the pair. "Regardless, keep me updated. If someone so much as makes a verbal threat at the human female, I want to know."

  Wren and Carys glanced at each other before looking back at him. Carys spoke first. "You're more protective of her than other guests, even taking into account she's a human. Is there something we should know?"

  His beast huffed. Just tell them. That way, it won't be a surprise.

  They could also try to force it. They've both hinted at how I should take a mate for a while now.

  Wren told you about his potential true mate last year. And good thing, too, because she kissed him before he could warn her. Luckily because of him confiding in us, everything was in place to prevent any sort of leadership vacuum inside the Protectors. We should do the same.

  Carys stated, "She's your true mate, isn't she?"

  Rhydian grunted. "Maybe."

  Wren sighed. "That makes things complicated."

  "I didn't say I was going to claim her, Wren."

  The other male raised his brows. "Why not? This isn't like the last time, Rhydian. You're the one in charge now."

  He and Wren were only a few years apart, and the other male had been old enough to witness everything that had happened with Liliwen. "I'm in charge, yes. But that brings its own set of troubles. For now, all that matters is protecting both her and the boy. I hate to be overly dramatic, but our future might just depend on it. After all, if Snowridge can't handle incorporating one human female and a half-human child from outside the clan, then we have no hope of making future human mates welcome."

  Carys's mobile beeped, and she checked it quickly before meeting his gaze again. "It looks like Stonefire's head Protector is here."

  Rhydian wondered what the Stonefire Protector wanted since he hadn't given Rhydian any sort of notice concerning a visit. "You don't have to be so formal. Kai may not live here, but his mother and sister do. He's family, in a way."

  She grunted. "You can say that, but he can be a bit bossy at times, even though this isn't his clan."

  Wren jumped in. "Stop it, Carys. He helped us out not that long ago with rescuing the children from the hands of those dragon hunters. That alone puts him in my good book. What else was in your text message? Did his mate come with him, too?"

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sp; Carys shook her head. "Not this time. Kai wants to talk to Rhydian alone."

  Rhydian's dragon peaked up at that remark. I wonder why. He almost never wants to speak with us alone.

  There's only one way to find out.

  He focused back on the two dragon-shifters. "Bring him here right away, Carys. And Wren? I want you to keep an eye on Delaney and Rian whenever possible. The female's curious, and braver than she should be. I don't want her to cause trouble and sway the clan's opinion of her so early."

  Wren stood, and Carys followed suit. The male replied, "Of course. But one last thing—even if you don't intend to take the human as your mate, you still may want to devise a plan in case something happens. Most of the clan respects you, but I don't want to take any chances."

  His dragon beamed. See? Wren agrees with me.

  Ignoring his beast, Rhydian waved a hand in dismissal. "Fine, fine, I'll do that if it'll make you feel better. For now, bring Kai Sutherland here."

  The pair left, and Rhydian leaned back in his chair. Coming up with a contingency plan about what to do in case the mate-claim frenzy kicked off was solid advice. However, just the mention of the frenzy made him think about Delaney naked, sweaty, and moaning beneath him.

  The vision became clearer, with her long dark hair splayed beneath her as her nails dug into his back. Rhydian reveled in her tight wet pussy gripping him as he claimed her over and over again, branding her with his scent each time he came.

  His beast hummed. Yes, yes. She should be ours. Think of a plan and then let's try to win her.

  Rhydian's resolve to resist the female seemed to lessen by the hour.

  However, before he could think of yet another excuse as to why it had to be slow or not at all, someone knocked, and Kai Sutherland walked in.

  Thoughts of Delaney would have to wait. Rhydian needed to find out why Stonefire's head Protector was here. Because if Kai were merely here to see his mother and sister, he would've asked for them instead of Rhydian.

  So he motioned toward the seat and stated, "Tell me why you're here, Kai."

  As the dragonman explained, Rhydian did his best to sit upright and not slouch. His minimal free time was about to get a hell of a lot smaller.